The Taiwan based Kavalan Distillery has been awarded the Whisky of the Year title at the 2026 International Whisky Competition (IWC), for its Peatist Oloroso Sherry Cask Single Cask Strength Single Malt Whisky.

Crafted from lightly peated malt and matured in Oloroso sherry casks, Kavalan Peatist Oloroso Sherry Cask is part of the distillery’s Peatist Series, which explores the harmony between delicate peat smoke and Kavalan’s signature subtropical maturation.

In addition to winning the Whisky of the Year title for the second consecutive year – its 11th world title in the past 11 years – the distillery secured eight places in the competition’s Top 15 Whiskies of 2026.

Kavalan’s Head of Research and Development, Zerose Yang, was also named Master Distiller of the Year, recognising the consistency and excellence of the Kavalan team.

Commenting on the achievement, YT Lee, Chairman of King Car Group, Kavalan’s parent company, said: “At Kavalan, the consistent pursuit of breakthrough and innovation has been at the heart of everything we do. Every award reflects the passion and dedication of our entire team. We are honoured that our commitment continues to be recognised by the world’s most respected whisky competitions, inspiring us to keep exploring new possibilities for Taiwanese single malt.”

The winners were determined through one of the industry’s most rigorous double-blind tasting processes, with the IWC evaluating every entry impartially.